; IN THE CARNATIC ' "' ^ ' 'ff 



broken off and where they are seen to spread like the ramifications of a- 

 nest of white ants. The part which is seen above the surface is in fact 

 nothing more than, the proje6lion of these du6ts : I beheve there is butlit- 

 tie doubt that these subterraneous tubes were originally the work of some 

 swarms ofinse6ls, or larger inhabitants of the soil; for though their^ 

 centre be filled with a sort of stiff earth mixed with gravel dust, yet it can 

 easily be removed, and the sides (though rather hard) are nothing else 

 but a stratum about three tenths of an inch thick, strongly incrustated 

 both in, and out side, with a small silicious stone, but easily separated. 



A SUBSTANCE perhaps more curious, and which is to be found in great 

 quantities upon those hills, is a small round body, generally one and half 

 inch in diameter, the exterior coat of which resembles much that of the 

 tubes above described, and which from its round shape, might be taken 

 at first sight for a pebble smeared with earth and gravel. 



When these balls are broken through the middle, they exhibit a num- _ 

 ber of concentric circles of various colours and densities, the latter of 

 which decreases as it approaches the centre, where it generally is in a state 

 of loose dust. One of the most variegated which I opened had the foUov/- 

 ing successions of colours, beginning from the outer shell, and proceed- 

 ing towards the centre. 



The exterior coat was a sort of yellow ochre, about one tenth of an inch 

 thi:ck, soiled at the surface by the dust and gravel which it had colle6ted, 

 btit very clear where it had been protefted. This was succeeded by an 

 ore, of a dark iron colour, very shining, about two tenths of an inch in thick- 

 ness; next followed a smaller ring of dark red, tending to purple, about 

 one tenth of an inch deep, and this was succeeded by a thin bright hlac 



